Aspen
Aspen is a small town with a ton of restaurant options. Unfortunately, a lot of them are not great. So to begin, there is no such thing as cheap eats in Aspen. Real Estate is expensive, so normally thus what you're paying for. For less expensive dining, I would recommend Ajax Tavern. They serve Simple Bistro Style food inn a comfortable environment. Lunch is the best time to eat here as it is at the base of Aspen mountain and has a amazing view. Ellina and Casa Tua can offer decent Italian food at pretty high prices for simple Italian. Cache Cache is an upscale bistro that tends to be very popular. Well executed simple brasserie style menu. But for the special evening, there is no better restaurant than Montagna at The Little Nell (my employer). Its the only restaurant with a Grand Award Winelist. Also, The new Chef Robert McCormick was Daniel Bolouds Exec Sous Chef for Five years and also did a small stint at Citronelle and Seegers in Atlanta. Sushi is also an option. Takah Sushi for a more approachable price point. Matsuhisa (Nobu) if you wanna break the bank. For late night cocktails, there's no better cocktail bar than Justice Snow's. I hope this helps. Also, if you plan on visiting during The Food and Wine festival, I would make reservations soon. And just in case you wanna get out of Aspen for some reason, Taqueria Nopal in Basalt is amazing. If you visit on Saturday or Sunday, they offer Pazole and Manudo!
